The Hawks came into the start of the game with high intensity, led by their great hitting. It only took the Hawks 2 innings to get the ball rolling on offense. At the bottom of the 2nd inning, Nathan Ahlers hits a single letting Cody Morris advance to 3rd base, and bringing in Hunter Carolan and Drake Atlee for the first two runs scored of the game. Next, Zach Mahon is up to bat and Morris is on 3rd base, and Ahlers on 1st base. Mahon hits a single, letting Ahlers advance to 2nd base, and bringing Morris home. Kasey Chapan is now up to bat, and he gets to first base on a defenders choice, leading to Mike Chavarria being thrown out at 2nd base, bringing Mahon, and Ahlers home. The inning comes to a close, and the Hawks set up a commanding lead on the Knights, 5-0.
Three innings later, in the 5th, the Knights offense wakes up and Jack Jackson hits a single, bringing in Carson Parks and Zack Trueblo for 2 scores. However the scoring ends there for the Knights, ending the game with only 2 runs scored. The score is now 5-2, and with that being said the Hawks are still not done on offense. In the bottom of the 8th the Hawks close the game out with a last score to ensure the win. Adam Castelan is up to bat and he grounds out to 2nd base, leading Ahlers to 2nd base, Morris to 3rd, and Carolan home for the last score of the game. The Hawks defense comes up big in the top of the 9th, closing out the game with a 6-2 victory.
The Hawks played a well-rounded game, playing great on defense as well as hitting the ball on offense. The Hawks pitchers were outstanding, both Kyle Von Ruden, and David Smith combined for 8 strikeouts and only 4 hits. Von Ruden is 1-0 to start the Hawks season. As far as the offense goes, 4 players ended the game with RBI's, Kasey Chapan, Zach Mahon, Adam Castelan, and Nathan Ahlers with 2. Hunter Carolan scored twice for the Hawks, and Drake Atlee and Cody Morris hit two crucial doubles to help the offense extend their lead.
The Hawks are now 1-0; the next game is away on Tuesday, February 4th at 2:00 PM, and return to play at home, Thursday, February 6th at 2:00 PM against Merced.